We’re All In This Together

We are social creatures.

By Stephen Douglas

Optimal health includes the notion of “being whole” which implies connections – to family, friends, communities, nations, nature and a higher power. We humans were not intended to live our lives as isolated beings but as members of and contributors to a greater community.

Dr. Andrew Weil, among many others, talk about feeling whole and connected. Yes, developing connections does take some work but it’s rewarding work. Giving of yourself is a way of connecting. You could spend time with friends and those in need. Or, consider taking care of the environment or an animal friend.

Here are eight possible ways to help feel more connected:
FAMILY
We are all members of families, neighbourhoods and communities. There’s an abundance of medical and scientific literature that reinforces the fact that people need the intimate support of family. The nuclear family of the 1950s may not be the reality for many but we’re fortunately blessed with the ability to reach out to develop a network of friends, surrogate family members or close connections.

COMMUNITY
Being part of a community provides a sense of living together and working together toward common goals. We are naturally communal beings and feel welcomed and satisfied from belonging to a group with a common purpose. In other words, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Unfortunately, our society often fails to provide for this need, so we have to work a little harder to create that sense of community.

Interestingly, community can be defined in thousands of ways. It could be your neighbourhood, your social action committee, your church, your social club or your hockey team. What seems to be important is that we contribute and let the activity or connection into our lives.

SERVICE
Giving back or selfless service means giving of yourself, your time, your talents or your skills to help others, with no thought of return. Giving of yourself has some religious connotations but it doesn’t have to be towards a specific religion. In fact, there are a great number of opportunities you could be involved with that would allow you to share your life. Service is a way of acknowledging that we are all one and that the happiness of each is connected to the happiness of all. These experiences lead to a greater sense of the interconnectedness of all beings.

NATURE AND EARTH
The Earth is a great source of spiritual nourishment. Nature is not a hostile force. You can slow down and appreciate nature and the Earth on wilderness hikes or lunch breaks in city parks. One very popular way to connect with nature is through plants: gardening, planting trees, growing cactuses and flowering bulbs, and having unusual and useful plants in and around your home. Getting in touch with nature seems to provide a balance to the busy-ness of our everyday lives.

PETS
There’s a very interesting body of research that shows people who have pets are healthier and have less illness than those who do not. Pet owners tend to recover faster from serious illness and tend to be happier. Having pets around brings great responsibility but the joys and rewards offset the demands a thousand fold. Loving and caring for a pet is a great way to learn how to love and care for other humans and nature.

EMOTIONS
Many philosophers, psychologists and scientists will agree that we have an almost limitless capacity to love and to share emotions. To share a loving or emotional bond with someone is the highest form of connection.

TOUCH
A great deal of animal and human research shows that individuals deprived of physical contact can be insecure, poorly adjusted and more prone to illness. A hug a day will keep the doctor away, as they say. Human beings need to touch and be touched. Appropriate contact through touching or hugs or massage or squeezes is an easy connection to make because it feels so good.

A HIGHER POWER
When we talk about a connection to a higher power, what we’re referring to is your personal relationship to and affiliation with the universe, in very broad terms. People who see themselves as part of, and supported by something larger than themselves, are less fearful and more healthy, whether it’s God or nature or Allah.

It’s been said, “Our society breeds a sense of “disconnectedness” between family, neighbours and communities”. But, there is also a growing sense that together we can make a difference. We are safer, more productive, healthier and happier if and when we realize we’re all in this together.